


Until it's true

by seratonation



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Home, Insomnia, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 03:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1013816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seratonation/pseuds/seratonation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony wakes up to find an uninvited guest in his tower.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until it's true

**Author's Note:**

  * For [happyhighs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyhighs/gifts).



> Birthday fic for happyhighs! Thanks for making me ship it :P
> 
> Title from Ghost by Damion Suomi

Tony was not expecting anyone else to be up. If anything the tower was empty. Clint and Natasha were off doing SHIELD things, Bruce was away at a conference and Thor was at Jane’s tonight. 

That only left Steve, and even though he only slept 4 hours, it was usually between midnight and 4 am, and since now it was 2 am there really should not have been anyone in the lounge. 

And yet, the TV was on. Tony hesitated, torn between backing away and approaching the stranger. 

“You know that thing you wear acts like a beacon.” He almost didn't recognise the voice, but the cadence was unmistakable. 

“Loki Laufeyson,” Tony said, “I thought you were locked up somewhere.” 

Loki shrugged. “Not really my thing, being imprisoned,” he said, “I thought you humans sleep at night.”

Tony shrugged and sat down in the armchair next to Loki’s. “Not really my thing,” Tony repeated.

They sat in silence for a while longer. Loki was watching some French movie on low volume, and the couple on screen looked like they were about to kiss. 

“So what are you doing here, Loki?” Tony asked. 

“You mean to ask why am I not terrorizing your city?” 

“More or less,” Tony said.

“I was looking for my brother,” Loki said, “but it seems he is with his human girl.”

“So you decided to wait?” Tony asked. 

“Not really,” Loki said, “you may find this hard to believe but I was hoping for reconciliation, and I hardly think he would accept if I interrupted his time with the human girl in the early hours of the morning.” 

“If that’s true you should probably stop calling her the human girl,” Tony said, “you should just probably call her by her name.”

Loki looked at him blankly. Tony rolled his eyes at him, “It’s Jane, I think.”

The credits of the movie started to roll and still Loki didn’t move.

“Look,” Tony started, “I don’t mean to be rude but why are you still here?” 

Loki’s shoulders shifted slightly, curling in on himself. 

“Forget it,” Tony said, and got up. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from the cabinet. He lifted the lid on the bottle and took a whiff. Good stuff, exactly what they needed.

He placed the glasses on the coffee table between them and poured out the amber liquid. “He nudged one towards Loki and picked up the other. “Look,” he said again, taking a sip, “We have a few rooms that are empty, or since Thor is away you can stay in his room or whatever.” 

He got up and took his glass with him, but he hesitated at the door. “You coming?”

Loki picked up the cup and reluctantly followed. Tony led him to Thor’s room and turned the lights on. “This is Thor’s room,” he said, “you can stay here if it would make you feel more comfortable, I think Thor did some Asgardian redecoration or something.”

He watched Loki closely and then turned the lights off and pulled back, closing the door behind him. “But if that doesn't strike your fancy, there’s another room down here.” 

The second room Tony showed him was more generic and bare. “You can wait here if you want, get some sleep or whatever, so you don’t scare the locals when they start waking up.”

“Why are you doing this Stark?” Loki asked, one hand on the door frame, not turning away from the room.

“I told you, don't want you spooking the other people that stay here,” he said, “at least until you figure out your differences with Thor.”

“You assume this will come to pass,” Loki stated. 

“Thor is too forgiving for his own good,” Tony said.

“He can take care of himself,” Loki said, absently, “I will stay here tonight.”

“Okay, good, I’m going back to bed, Jarvis is always listening.” 

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a fact.”

Tony turned on his heel and was about to walk away when Loki stopped him. “Thank you, Stark,” he said, “it has been a long time since anyone did not treat me like a- a villain.”

Tony hesitated but didn’t turn around. “We’re all villains in someone else’s story.” He snapped his fingers and clapped a palm over his closed fist, “get some rest.”

Tony left but instead of going back to his own room, he went up to his workshop. “Jay?”

“Good morning sir,” Jarvis replied. 

“Keep an eye on our new guest, will you?” he said, taking a seat at his desk.

“What threat level should I assign him, sir?”

“I think a 2 would suffice for now,” Tony said, starting up his latest project. 

“Is there anything I should be watching for?” 

“No,” he said, getting frustrated, “I don't think he’s dangerous, at least not yet, not to us, just- just watch him and keep me updated.”

“Of course, sir.”

Tony knew he was going to get an earful for this, if not from Steve then from various other, saner people, but this was the right thing to do. He knew it was. Loki was like them, he’ll just have to convince anyone who says otherwise.


End file.
